I fell in love at the auto show today.

neon4891 wrote: Space is the one thing the versa got right. Make it blue and call it the tardis.

Yeah, but everything else is wrong with it. Mazda 3 hatch is a better car for similair money.

I work for a competitor, but I have to admit that the new Subaru WRX and STi are just about perfect. Old-car visibility and lack of gimmickry, new-car safety. The reviews on the STi have also been really good.

Gearheadotaku wrote:

neon4891 wrote: Space is the one thing the versa got right. Make it blue and call it the tardis.

Yeah, but everything else is wrong with it. Mazda 3 hatch is a better car for similair money.

How do you figure? The Versa starts at about $4k less than the Mazda.

Mike wrote: VW is the German Mazda. If they lose the driving dynamics part of their brand identity, they go from being the German Mazda to being the unreliable Honda.

By my reckoning, that happened about fifteen-twenty years ago.

The manual tdi VW wagons have been available for years. They just changed the name this year. Also, they may bring the awd version. Otherwise, this has been here for years.

EvanR: Amazing. Last year when I told my local Subaru dealer I wanted a manual Forester, they said "no problem, let's check the computer - what color and trim level, we can have that here day after tomorrow." Bought it on the spot. Subie dealer for 35 years, small town, eager to get new customers who are likely to be repeat customers. Happy camper.

On the subject of manual transmissions, it was cool to see the Jag display with the F-type decked out in "Save the Manual" stickers. That made me

Datsun310Guy wrote: I am hoping to see this at the Chicago Auto Show next month. I will even give in and settle even more for this.

I got a Sentra for a rental this weekend, I was thinking much of what I disliked about it would be fixed with some decent rubber and a 6 speed manual.. H*ll, i'd just settle for the decent rubber, I can live with the CVT..

Out of all the people I talked to, the Tesla people actually knew what they were talking about. Everyone else was just reading a script. Kudos to Tesla.

Revelation: why can't any car have pedal box like the BRZ/FRS???? My feet didn't fit in almost any other car I sat in and tried to heel-toe. This is also not a problem with my current Accord.

EvanR wrote:

Gearheadotaku wrote:

neon4891 wrote: Space is the one thing the versa got right. Make it blue and call it the tardis.

Yeah, but everything else is wrong with it. Mazda 3 hatch is a better car for similair money.

How do you figure? The Versa starts at about $4k less than the Mazda.

Two years ago when the wife unit was buiying, those two were the choices. The Mazda was 3k more than the Versa. The cars are quite different in how they drive and feel.

The Versa won out for ride quality and room. It has proven to be a versatile family do-all vehicle. I wanted the Mazda for the Zoom-Zoom factor. Wife could care less about that stuff.

If I had to generalize, I would say that the Versa is a woman's car and the Mazda 3 is a guys car.

The Versa Note is one of the best jobs nissan has done on anything lately. I'll grant that it's boring from an enthusiast driver's standpoint, but it's a very well-executed design and a very plausible Fit competitor. If y'all are comparing it to a Mazda3 you're kind of saying it is punching above its weight class.

I have a flyer from the local Nissan store that says if I bring my auto show ticket stub and take a test drive they'll give me a $25 gas card. I wonder what the odds are of them having a Versa Note with manual. It does seem like the closest thing to the modern equivalent of my 20 year old Escort wagon.

I love a fun to drive car but the zoom zoom factor starts to lose priority when you gotta carry around, load and unload guitars and other music crap on a daily basis.

I fell in lust at the Nissan booth over the weekend and am beginning to regret it. According to the many emails and voicemails I got the have a 2014 370 they can't get rid of. If it wasn't an automatic I would be tempted to see just how desperate they are.

Wally wrote: ...2014 370 they can't get rid of. If it wasn't an automatic I would be tempted to see just how desperate they are.

Maybe they can't get rid of it because it's an automatic!

It's why I wasn't interested. I'm impressed by their persistence though. So far 4 emails and three calls, the first email coming about an hour after I signed up.

Mike wrote: This dealer needs to get out of the Volkswagen business. Maybe start selling Lexus or something. VW is the German Mazda. If they lose the driving dynamics part of their brand identity, they go from being the German Mazda to being the unreliable Honda. Honda, of course, is the inoffensively quirky alternative Toyota.

Already happened. I was a first time new car buyer this past spring and although my 2 previous cars were VW jettas and there's an 84 GTI in my garage that I'm working on I DIDN'T buy a new VW. VW WAS a good car company because they used to sell cars that were fun, upscale for their class, had better build materials, and an interior that was above and beyond what you would find in any other economy or mid size car.

When they decided their #1 goal was selling greater volume and they dropped their price point, they lost most of the reasons that made them good cars. I don't give a rat's ass if I can buy a base model Jetta or Golf for $17K, it looks about as exciting as a Camry and has an interior no better then a Chevy Malibu. Their cost cutting took away the only thing that distinguished them in their market.

The GTI and the Golf R are still alive and kicking, but VW won't retain enthusiasts for long if they can't find anything appealing to them in the rest of the lineup. VW, Honda, and the like built enthusiast bases in the 90's because they had special edition performance models and their cars were easy enough to swap motors, suspensions, etc. between each other to let people build something fun. The 18 yr old kid today driving a late 90's to mid 2000's jetta slammed on cheap coilovers and an engine swap SHOULD be the future new GTI customer. But there won't be other new enthusiasts following in their footsteps if the present product has no "fun" value to make it an attractive and affordable budget project car in the future. Nobody is lusting over a used 2010 Jetta with a DSG trans and a 2.5L motor.

Now that I'm done with my "why I'm mad at VW even though I like them" rant, my auto show impressions.

This year was a good one. The Ford GT was clearly the star of the show and it is absolutely STUNNING in person. I went on opening Saturday and there was an absolute SEA of humanity around it at all times. The body is a marvel of aerodynamics and styling and it almost looks as if you have a prototype or open wheel car body canopy "floating" in between 2 outboard fenders the way that pass through ducting is laid out behind the doors. The car is also a lot longer and sleeker then the pictures allude to. It is a work of art.

The GT350R was also a great looking car and it didn't disappoint either. The other notable cars to me were the Mini Cooper Superlegra and the Maserati Alferi 2&2 and the NSX were also pretty awesome.

The 4c and the Alfa stand just blew me away.

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: The 4c and the Alfa stand just blew me away.

I love the 4C Spyder.

Still, It's interesting how a good looking modern car like the 4C looked (imo) frumpy next to the beautiful 33 Stradale they had on display. It was clear to see how designers are constrained by modern safety and design regulations. (headlights have to be a certain height, yada yada)

However, I'm glad we're not all still driving around in death traps no matter how pretty they might be.

In reply to BlueInGreen44:
Agreed. I love the 4C, but even my sons were taken with how much more stunning the Stradale looks ,especially when they're sitting side by side.

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: The 4c and the Alfa stand just blew me away.

My group that went up to the show unanimously proclaimed Alfa had the best looking "booth babes"

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I suppose that is better than falling in love at the farm show.

or at a family reunion!

In reply to yamaha:

The Alfa stand and the Fiat stand were good that way.

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: In reply to yamaha: The Alfa stand and the Fiat stand were good that way.

Short brunette at Alfa was the hottest girl I've seen since I lived in California.